If I Must Die

by Checkpoint 303 feat. Maloun

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about

Palestinian poet, writer and professor of English literature, Refaat Alareer, was tragically killed, alongside his family, by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on December 6th, 2023. Refaat Alareer left a legacy of resistance and hope in the defiant and hopeful words of the poem “If I Must Die”, which he published on social media only a few weeks before he was murdered. The poem echoes Claude McKay's “If We Must Die.” written during the 1919 Red Summer of racial violence in the U.S.

Alareer's iconic poem has been translated into over a hundred languages since his death.

This piece is available for free download. Any proceeds will go to supporting the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) and Playgrounds for Palestine.

Keep speaking about Palestine.

lyrics

If I Must Die
Refaat Alareer

If I must die,
you must live
to tell my story
to sell my things
to buy a piece of cloth
and some strings,
(make it white with a long tail)
so that a child, somewhere in Gaza
while looking heaven in the eye
awaiting his dad who left in a blaze –
and bid no one farewell
not even to his flesh
not even to himself –
sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up
above
and thinks for a moment an angel is there
bringing back love
If I must die
let it bring hope
let it be a tale.

credits

released January 2, 2024
Programming and electronics by Checkpoint 303.
Vocals by Maloun.
Video and cover art by Checkpoint 303 (incl. generative AI)

license

some rights reserved

about

Checkpoint 303

Checkpoint 303 is an activist sonic project that creates experimental & electronic music, by combining field recordings performed mainly in Palestine, Tunisia & Egypt with electronic beats, audio archives, oud & piano.
Albums are available on spotify, soundcloud, bandcamp, etc.

For updates, follow us on Instagram: @checkpoint303 ... more

checkpoint303.com

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